Buying a residential park home in Scotland can seem like an attractive option, including for those thinking about retiring or downsizing. But living in a residential park home comes with its own set of consumer challenges which need to be addressed.
Residential park homes in Scotland
The residents’ body for park homes - the Scottish Confederation of Park Home Residents Associations - estimates there are over 100 residential park homes sites in Scotland with some 8,500 residents. These are commonly single-storey homes in which residents live full-time, as opposed to holiday park homes, and they occupy land that is often privately owned by another individual or company.
Consumer Scotland has been examining the consumer experience of park home residents in Scotland. Located in some of the most beautiful parts of Scotland, it is not hard to understand why some people choose to live permanently on residential park homes sites. We have spoken with residents and groups who have highlighted affordability, ease of maintenance and having an on-site community as some of the advantages of living in a residential park home.
Challenges facing park homes residents in Scotland
However, our work on has also highlighted a variety of challenges facing park home residents. Some of these issues are longstanding as evidenced by previous research by Consumer Focus Scotland and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) . Common challenges reported by residents include access to basic goods and services such as energy, difficulties purchasing homes and problems with the upkeep and management of the sites they live on.
For many park homes residents, their energy supply is managed by the site owner who then charges them for the energy they use. Without a direct relationship with energy suppliers, consumer protections are often weaker, and it is more difficult for consumers to access help when things go wrong. In many cases park homes sites are off grid, which means residents are reliant on more expensive LPG and heating oil and more exposed to price increases in the wholesale market. This is particularly the case at the moment with the current situation in the Middle East. There are also no equivalent regulations to those around gas and electricity to prevent site owners from profiteering in the resale of LPG and heating oil. Consumer Scotland has raised these issues with UK Government and the regulator Ofgem, calling for the needs of park homes residents to be adequately recognised and their consumer protections strengthened.
Although the financial and emotional investment is similar, the process of buying a residential park home is very different to a more traditional bricks and mortar one.
There is no standard legal process and no requirement for a solicitor. This can leave prospective buyers exposed to financial and other harms if they don’t fully understand the legalities of buying a residential park home. Other problems raised with us in relation to park homes purchases centred on consumers’ views that the services and features they felt were promised or expected were not always delivered. This includes services such as connections to mains gas and sewage, security cameras and gates, warranty and part-exchange schemes. Residents have told us that these have not always been available or installed, or not as advertised, once purchases have been completed.
Conditions on park homes sites was another key issue that residents and groups have highlighted in our engagement with them. For example, residents cited problems with septic tanks overflowing and water logging damaging or preventing access to homes. Communication between site owners and residents was also reported as a challenge, and a small number of residents reported incidents of police being called due to site owners’ behaviour.
Next steps for improving consumer outcomes for park homes residents
Consumer Scotland will be publishing a report in the summer examining these challenges in more detail and highlighting priorities for policy makers and others in improving outcomes for park homes residents in Scotland. We are planning further engagement, including with site owners, with the intention of setting out targeted recommendations for Governments, regulators and others.
If you would be interested in further information or getting involved, please contact Hannah Corbett, hannah.corbett@consumer.scot